2011: The Year In Review

Dear 2011,

     Aside from stress extraordinaire, I think you were overall a pretty shmancy year. And although I've liked you, I am kind of ready for 2012 to come and take your place. But first lets look back on the year. Yesterday I pretty much did a bookish year in review, but this is going to be a tad bit different. And now... the year in review.

January

The second semester of school starts but my Ally Carter obsession continues. I also started to look at more and more book blogs in January.

February

Dun Dun! Mint Tea & A Good Book is created on February 6th! I had no idea what I was doing but I give a lot of credit to The Story Siren's Blog Tips for helping me those first few months. :)

March

 My birthday! Yeah, I don't know what else I did in March besides go to school and read. Oh, and have a lovely spring break.

April

TLA Conference! In which I met Ally Condie and a billion other cool authors! Will hopefully be going to the TLA Conference again this year. I also didn't post much in April for some reason.

 May

May brought nice weather and Armchair BEA, but it also brought finals which dumped a truck load of stress on me.

June

With June came the conclusion of the school year and the beginning of summer! The weather started getting pretty hot in June too. Another big thing in June... I added co-reviewer, Erin, to Mint Tea & A Good Book!

July

Mint Tea & A Good Book had their very first author interview with the fabulous Elise Allen! We also had a bunch of giveaways in July. And (FUN FACT) we had the most posts this year in July! 23 posts! WOW! :)

August

I went on a nice (cool) vacation and then school started up again. Other than that- a pretty uneventful month.

 September

*cowers in corner* Yeah, I had a lot of school stuff in September so I was bad about the blog that month. Lets not dwell on that.

October

AUSTIN TEEN BOOK FESTVAL! Need I say more? October was a great month filled with nice weather and a fabulous book festival.

November

 I watched a lot of people go through NaNoWriMo and succeed which made me feel so warm and giddy inside even though I wasn't even participating. (Way to go NaNo's!) I also did a ton of reading in November which is a bit odd but nonetheless, awesome.

December

Mid Terms were dumped upon me but so was winter break and some lovely cool weather! The holidays brought some new books and we also launched a new blog design! December has also brought the end of 2011.

Now

     It's going to be weird that my blog archive will no longer just have 2011 but also 2012, and even weirder that I'll have been blogging for an entire year, come February. But we'll cover that later because I know I'll have a thing or two to say about that in coming months. ;)

     Part of what's made this year more exciting for me is starting and maintaing this blog. I have learned so so so so much this year about blogging, technology, the book publishing industry, photoshop, YA, YA authors, and I can't believe that before this year I didn't know what a literary agent was nor an ARC! I can't even comprehend not knowing what an ARC is, but earlier this year that was a reality.

     Thank you to everyone who reads this blog and just puts up with me, and thank you to the book blogging community and publishing industry for making this such an exciting-fun filled- learning year for me. I hope to see everyone back in 2012! :)



Best,

End of Year Book Survey/ Books Recs 2011

   So two of my most favorite blogs, The Perpetual Page Turner and Willa's Ramblings, were both hosting these semi-similar (thats an awesome word!) end of year book recommendation-like features and I couldn't decide which one to do! So I'm combining the two into an uber recommendy survey-y feature, starting with the survey.

1. Best Book You Read in 2011!!!!

Dystopian YA: Divergent by Veronica Roth and Wither by Lauren DeStefano, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 Contemporary YA: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins and Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

Adult: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

 Historical YA: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Others: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau- Banks by E. Lockhart, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Heist Society by Ally Carter, and The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

2. Most Disappointing Book/ Wish You Loved More Book of 2011

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore just didn't do it for me. People kept telling me how good it was but for me it was just blah. Disappointing. I've heard The Power of Six is better though, so we'll see if I get to that one.

 3. Most Surprising (in a good way!) Book of 2011

I have to say Wither by Lauren DeStefano! This ended up being one of my most favorites of the year, partly because I was so pleasantly surprised by it! I only picked it up after receiving an ARC of the second one, Fever, but I'm so glad I did! A really awesomely creepy one. :)

4. Book You Recommended Most to People in 2011

Probably Stephanie Perkins' books and Ally Carter's books. I love both of those authors so so much and it seems like whenever people ask for a recommendation I give them either an Ally Carter book or a Stephanie Perkins book. But hey, at least those are good books! :)

 5. Best Series You Discovered in 2011

Hm... I read a lot of "Book One" this year but a few of my favorites this year are... The Princess For Hire Series by Lindsey Leavitt, The Summer Series by Jenny Han, The Chemical Garden Series by Lauren DeStefano (I have now read Fever!), The Fins Series by Tera Lynn Childs, and The Heist Society Series by Ally Carter.

6. Favorite New Author You Discovered in 2011

Stephanie Perkins!

The majority of my favorite authors I discovered this year! Here are just a few of the so so many I discovered this year- Lindsey Leavitt, Stephanie Perkins, Tera Lynn Childs, Jay Asher, Jenny Han, Ruta Sepetys, Jonathan Safran Foer, Michelle Hodkin,  Veronica Roth, Tahereh Mafi, Maureen Johnson, E. Lockhart, and Kody Keplinger.

7. Best Book That Was Out Of Your Comfort Zone/ A New Genre For You

I'm going to have to go with Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer! Probably one of my first modern adult books that I've read, and I absolutely LOVED it! I'm so happy I read it. :)

8. Most Thrilling Book of 2011

MARA DYER! Oh my goodness- I've mentioned that this book broke my brain before because yes- it completely did. So much squealing while reading this book.

9. Book You Most Anticipated of 2011

 Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter and Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs! These were some sophomores that I was not going to miss out on. :)

10. Favorite Cover of 2011

 Once again, Mara Dyer wins the prize. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer has a breathtaking cover! They actually sell the cover as a picture at Urban Outfitters because it's so pretty. :)

11. Most Memorable Character of 2011

Either Frankie Landau-Banks from The Disreputable History of herself (hee hee!) or Payton Gritas from Sean Griswold's Head. Both were female characters extraordinaire. Both were also exceptionally hilarious. And then of course, Katniss Everdeen. :)

12. Most Beautifully Written Book Read in 2011

This one is between Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, or Between Shades of Gray by Lauren Sepetys. All were gorgeous! :)

13. Book That Had The Greatest Impact on You in 2011

 Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Both impacted me for different reasons.

14. Book You Can't Believe You Waited Until 2011 To Read

Frankie Landau- Banks! Why didn't someone shove this book into my face!? Huh? I'm looking at all of you. Just kidding. But seriously- I can't believe I waited this long! Also, 13 Reasons Why and The Hunger Games took me until this year to read too. I'm just happy to have finally read these books. :)

15. Favorite Passage/ Quote from A Book You Read in 2011

 AH! So many fabulous quotes! I certainly can't put all of them but here are a few of my absolute favorite ones.

“It is better to be alone, she figures, than to be with someone who can't see who you are. It is better to lead than to follow. It is better to speak up than stay silent. It is better to open doors than to shut them on people. She will not be simple and sweet. She will not be what people tell her to be. That Bunny Rabbit is dead."

-The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E Lockhart

"I regret that it takes a life to learn how to live."

-Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

16. Book That You Read in 2011 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read

 Anna and The French Kiss for sure. Also some Ally Carter, maybe Mara Dyer, and Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Another one that I'll have to re-read is Extremely Lous and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. So many little details in that one. :)


17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Someone About!


Divergent for sure! Also most  of Mara Dyer (especially the ending) and Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt. I actually threw Sean Griswold's Head on the floor I was so mad at the main character, Payton.

18. Best Book Event You Participated In

 Austin Teen Book Festival! ATBF was so so so so so so so so fun! I was part of the Press Corps meaning I got to go to the author VIP room and do all this cool stuff. Plus, a highlight of that day was hiding under Stephanie Perkins' chair during a zombie flash mob. Yep. You heard that right. You can see the recap post of that uber awesome event.

     That's all for now! Be sure to check out other end of the year book surveys from The Perpetual Page Turner and some other Book Recs of 2011 at Willa's Ramblings. :)

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger (Review in letter format)

     Shut Out is the December book of the month, but I wanted to switch it up a bit for the review. This review is more or less the essay I wrote for my english class this past semester. Links and etc are at the bottom of the review. Enjoy! :)


Dear Teacher,

I had read 18-year-old Keplinger’s first novel, The DUFF a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it, so when I heard that she was writing another novel, I was super excited to get my hands on a copy. I picked up Shut Out at the public library and gulped the book down in a couple of nights. It was such a fun book to read! And when I finished the book it just left me with this feeling of accomplishment.
Shut Out is a modern retelling of Aristophanes’, Lysistrata- a Greek tale about a woman, who in an attempt to end a war, convinces the other women to hold a “sex strike” with their husbands. It is one of the earliest accounts of women and sexual relations.
Of course, in Shut Out, it’s a little bit different. At Hamilton High, there’s conflict between the football team and the soccer team and Lissa is tired of it! In an attempt to end the battle, Lissa convinces the soccer players’ girlfriends and football players’ girlfriends (including Lissa) to go on a hook up strike. Except, the girls never expected a new rivalry to be created- Boys vs Girls.
It’s no secret that Kody Keplinger is a feminist and promotes sex positivity, (you can tell that from her first book and her lovely blog) but in this book I think she did an incredible job writing a very active character and getting the message (though there’s certainly more than one) through to her audience. Because what becomes a hook up strike turns into self discovery turns into the girls sharing their feelings turns into the realization that “normal” simply doesn’t exist. We all have things to learn from Lissa and the girls.
“I considered this for a second. She was asking the same questions that had been running through my head for weeks: What’s normal? What’s expected of us?
‘You know,’ I said quietly. ‘I don’t think normal exists.’ ” (pg 154)
This passage shows Lissa discovering that there is no such thing as normal. And what’s expected of us is completely a theoretical perfection that is in no way realistic at all. This is a really, really important theme that I think a lot of girls would enjoy and benefit from.
Kody Keplinger is a really fantastic writer too. I have hardly read any better characters than Kody Keplinger’s! You really do feel as though you know the characters personally and can guess what they would do in a situation. Plus, Chloe, Lissa’s best friend, could have easily been a really obnoxious character, but Keplinger wrote her in a way that was just annoying enough to work. Completely spot on!

“ ‘Hell if I know. I stopped reading emails weeks ago. I just do what you tell me to do, since I had to drive you around anyway.’

I rolled my eyes and checked the calendar I’d set up on my email server. ‘Well, you’re driving me to Ellen’s tomorrow night then.’ I clicked the button to shut down my computer. ‘I have to go or I’ll never get this homework done.’

‘Whoa, you still do homework?’ Chloe asked. ‘Why? We’re seniors. You’ve already taken your SATs. Why bother?’

I laughed. ‘Good night, Chloe.’ And I hung up the phone.” (page 232- 233)

I think that this passage really shows how realistic the characters and their relationships with each other are.

There were definitely a few unexpected plot twists throughout the book. I never expected (spoiler!)Lissa to crack a bit on her own policies, but I had to remind myself (just as Lissa had to) that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. So it wouldn’t be natural if Lissa was perfect and never broke any rules. I also didn’t anticipate the ending. I guess I had thought that in the end Lissa would (spoiler!) succeed, but in a different way then what actually happened in the end of this book. Maybe I should have read Lysistrata first? ;)

There are definitely a few similarities between Shut Out and Kody Keplinger’s first novel, The DUFF. They share a common theme of self acceptance which I love. However, I do think that between Keplinger’s two novels, I prefer Shut Out just because I think the plot line is more intricate and tangled. I also thought that overall, the book was just a bit more well written and fun to read. I found myself often rooting for Lissa and the girls, where as in The DUFF, I didn’t even care for the main character, Bianca, much. One cool connection between these novels though, is that they are set in the same place in the same high school. So occasionally I would find things mentioned in The DUFF throughout Shut Out.

Some of my favorite parts in this book were the sleep overs. All of the soccer girlfriends and the football girlfriends (and Lissa of course!) would all have these ginormous sleep overs that were so funny! The girls definitely reminded me of a few crazy slumber parties that I’ve attended.

“Ellen’s room sent me back to a time before all of this. Before the strike, before Randy, before the stupid rivalry began interfering with our lives.  Sitting cross-legged on Ellen’s floor, flipping through one of her fashion magazines, made me feel thirteen again. It felt good. Simple.” (page 234)

Lissa also learns a lot about relationships throughout the book. A little bit after the hook up strike begins, Lissa finds her football player boyfriend, Randy, cheating on her.  She realizes that if Randy didn’t like her for who she is, then he’s really not worth it at all. No one needs a man to complete them.

As I began to say earlier, I think Shut Out is aimed for an older Young Adult audience (basically not 10 year olds), but I think that a lot of girls would enjoy it and be able to benefit from the messages in the book. The themes in Shut Out are real problems that a lot of girls in our society today, really struggle with.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun contemporary novel with witty humor, silly sleep overs, girl’s empowerment, or a modern retelling of an old greek tale. (from 411 BC!)

Sincerely,

Meredith

You can learn more about Shut Out by Kody Keplinger on Kody's Website or you can find it on Goodreads.

Top Ten Tuesday (er, Top 20?)- Favorite Books of 2011!

 Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by the cool kids over at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week The Broke and The Bookish posts a topic and lists their Top Ten things that fall under that category. Top Ten Tuesday is a great way to learn more about your favorite bloggers and discover new blogs and books as well! To learn more about Top Ten Tuesday and see the topics, click here.


This week's topic is...

Top Ten Favorite Books I Read in 2011

     Because it would be hard for us to only choose 5 favorite books each over the span of a year we are each choosing 10, so this is going to be a Top 20 Tuesday! We look forward to seeing your Top Ten Tuesday!

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth- I love love loved this one! It surpassed my expectations and although I don't always love fantasy- I adored Divergent! And it was so cool meeting the amazing Veronica Roth right after I had read her book too! :)

 2. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins- This book just made me feel so happy and giddy once I finished it for the first time. I love Stephanie Perkins... and St. Clair!


3. Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt- I know, I know, I'm ALWAYS raving about this book, but that's because it's one of my all time favorites! Lindsey Leavitt is so funny but also serious at the same time and this book was just so good!


4. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys- Another beautiful debut! Also extremely terrifying. Ruta Sepetys has crafted such a heart breaking historical (World War 2) novel! I cannot wait for her next book!!


5. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau- Banks by E. Lockhart- I want to be Frankie so badly! This book is so hilarious and crazy and awesome and everything I love in a good book! I highly recommend it if you haven't read it already!

 6. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin- This book is a brain breaker. When I finished it I was like "Yep, my brain is broken." Because it was! It was so wacky that I had to love it! Plus the cover and title and book trailer are all so spectacular!


7. Heist Society by Ally Carter- I read this one at the beginning of 2011, but it's definitely stuck with me. Such a fun read and I loved the characters!


8. The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler- I can't pinpoint what I liked about this book but I do know that when I finished it I was like, "I really liked that book." It's a good book, you should read it. AND, it has a new fantabulous paperback cover!

 9. Wither by Lauren DeStefano- Another book that pleasantly surprised me! I'd heard great things about it but it wasn't until I got an ARC of the second book, Fever, that I decided to read Wither. A really fabulous (and UBER CREEEPY) debut!


10. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer- This is the latest book I've read and it's possibly my favorite I've read all year. It's not YA, but it is still extremely special and incredibly cool! (hee hee!) And really sad at parts. You should definitely read it. ;)

1. Anna and The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I've never been to Paris, but after Anna and The French Kiss I concluded that Paris was one of the best cities in the world. This is one of the best love stories I have ever read!

2. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins - Sometimes sequels don't meet the expectations of the first book, but Lola and the Boy Next Door was just as wonderful as Anna and The French Kiss.

3. Paper Towns by John Green - I love anything written by John Green! Paper Towns was mysterious, hilarious and touching. I laughed and cried while reading this. John Green is definitely one of my favorite authors!

4. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen - Although this is a middle grade book it is absolutely adorable and extremely well written! I loved the two main characters, Bryce an Julie!

5. Red Glass by Laura Resau - This book is absolutely fantastic. It is extremely touching and sweet. I felt like I knew the characters after I read it!

6. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray - Beauty Queens has everything anyone would want in a good book. It has great morals, many laugh-out-loud moments, great characters, romantic moments, and the perfect amount of ridiculousness! This may be my favorite book of 2011!

7. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson - I don't adore science fiction, but I did adore The Adoration of Jenna Fox. This book is very thought provoking, and beautifully written!

8. The Summer I Turned Pretty - This is a great summer romance novel. The Summer I Turned Pretty is very chick-lit so if you're feeling frivolous and want something light to read you should check this book out!

9. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - On a more serious note.... Between Shades of Gray is a beautifully written novel. It is also very, very sad. I learned so much and enjoyed this book at the same time!

10. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead - When You Reach Me should win the award of "Most genres in one novel" award. This book was great and it had realistic fiction, science fiction, and mystery in it at the same time. This was a very well written and entertaining read!


   If you read all the way to down here I'm pretty impressed with your attention span! Have a wonderful new year! :)

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In My Mailboxy (35) + Giveaway Winners!

     "In My Mailbox" is a weekly feature hosted by the super fabulous, Kristi at The Story Siren. "IMM" is a way to share thoughts on the books you've received throughout the week with readers. To read more about "In My Malbox," click here.

 1. Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz- Thank you to Vy for sending this one as a Christmas gift! I've been hearing great things about this one and Hannah Moskowitz just seems pretty cool. :)

  2. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery- My parents got me this one and it's a nice new Puffin Classic Edition although it's probably my least favorite cover of all the Puffin Classics. But I'm very happy to have my own copy even if it has a blucky cover. 

1. Let It Snow by John Green, Lauren Myracle, and Maureen Johnson- I started Let It Snow and the first page had me laughing! I haven't read many collaborative novels so I am interested to see how this one goes.


2. On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta- I haven't read any Melina Marchetta books, so I am really looking forward to reading On the Jellicoe Road!


3. Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano -  As I said in my past TGIF, after I read Meredith's review of this book I knew I had to read it, so when I received Wither I was uber excited!


4. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen-  I haven't read any Sarah Dessen, so I am looking forward to What Happened to Goodbye!



5. Every You, Every Me by David Levithan-  David Levithan's friend sent him pictures and he based the novel off of the pictures his friend sent him. This seems like a very interesting read! 

 And finally, our 25 Days of Jubilation Winner! We had a ton of entries for this giveaway (nearly 100!) but the oh-so-faithful random.org, has selected a fine winner to end the giveaway!


And tha winner is... (dun, dun, dun!)




(dramatic pause)

Lauren from Ravishing Reads!

     That's all for this week's In My Mailbox and our giveaway announcement! Tomorrow we should have a Top Ten Tuesday for everyone! :)

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